The assumption that religion is at the root of most of the major conflicts in human history seems to be ingrained in our society. But is this assumption correct? How can a Christian respond to it?

Just the Facts

According to the Encyclopedia of Wars (Phillips and Axelrod), of the 1,763 major conflicts in recorded history, only 123 of them can be classified as having been fought over religious differences. That’s less than 7 percent.

Two days ago, we had a couple of converts to the Catholic Faith come by the office here at Catholic Answers to get a tour of our facility and to meet the apologists who had been instrumental in their conversions. One of the two gave me a letter she received from her Pentecostal pastor. He had written to her upon his discovery that she was on her way into full communion with the Catholic Church. She asked for advice concerning either how to respond or whether she should respond at all to the...

In a conversation with an atheist regarding the evidence for a historical Jesus, it was suggested that I read an email exchange between the skeptical biblical scholar Bart Ehrman and Frank Zindler, former editor of American Atheist Magazine (you can download a PDF of the exchange here). In...

Skillfully defending the Faith doesn't always mean having the right argument or the right answers. Often, it’s just knowing how to ask the right questions.

When we rely on statements in conversations, they can unintentionally turn into speeches. Like food that is shoved down someone's throat, the knowledge we impart to people in lengthy statements is rarely retained. Instead, asking questions lets us steer our conversations towards the truth without having to “preach” the...

The early Church Fathers are indispensable resources for Catholic apologetics, helping to bridge the gap between our own time and the age of the apostles. Not only do they provide extrabiblical verification of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, they also provide a great deal of insight into what the early Christians believed and how they interpreted Scripture.

This can go a long way to demonstrate that certain Catholic distinctives have been believed from the very beginning. One...